Fishes of Cedar Creek and the South Pork of the Cottonwood River, Chase County, Kansas

Fishes of Cedar Creek and the South Pork of the Cottonwood River, Chase County, Kansas FRANK B. CROSS University of Kansas, Lawrence The smaller streams of the Flint Hills Region in east-central Kansas are inhabited by fishes of both the Plains and the Ozarkian faunas. Species collected from two of these streams, the South Fork of the Cottonwood River and Cedar Creek, are discussed in this paper. Cedar Creek and the South Fork flow northward through Chase County into the Cottonwood River, a tributary of the Neosho (Grand) River, which is fed by streams from the western slope of the Ozark uplift before emptying into the Ar- kansas River in Oklahoma. Several kinds of fishes which are primarily Ozarkian in their distributions have used the Neosho River as an avenue of westward dispersal onto the plains. The extent of their penetration is, in most cases, little known—a fact which lends interest to ichthyofaunal studies of the Flint Hills. The known ranges of some species are extended somewhat beyond previously-recorded western limits in this report. The South Fork seems to harbor a higher proportion of Ozark fishes than do most streams of the Flint Hills, probably because of its permanent flow, its relatively high gradient, its numerous rocky riffles, and other physical similarities to Ozark streams. Also the South Fork seems to be one of the best small fishing-streams in Kansas, especially for the spotted bass, Micro pterus punctulatus Rafinesque. The high bass-population is supported by an abundance of forage fishes, mostly minnows, and crayfish, Orconectes nais (Faxon). At several collecting stations hundreds of crayfish were seined on the shaly riffles. Statements in this paragraph apply also to Cedar Creek, but to a lesser degree. The list of fishes presented herein is based chiefly upon collections from 12 localities, nine in the South Fork and three in Cedar Creek. The collections were made by the writer and Robert L. Carpenter, a student of zoology at the University of Kansas, in August, 1952. These records are supplemented by others from an additional collection in the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, and collections in the Kansas State College Museum of Zoology that have previously been reported by Jen- nings (1942). The specimens cited by Jennings, which I have re-examin- ed recently, were obtained from Rock Creek by I. D. Graham. Some were Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, Vol. 57, No. 3, 1954. [303] 304 The Kansas Academy of Science taken in August, 1885, and others are undated. The latter probably were taken before 1885. DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT The South Fork originates (as Thurman Creek) at an elevation of 1500 feet in Butler County, Kansas, and flows along a relatively straight course northward through the Kansas-Oklahoma Bluestem Region for 35 miles to its junction with the Cottonwood River near Cottonwood Falls, Chase County. Its headwaters consist of three major branches—Thurman Creek (11 miles long), Mercer Creek (seven miles long), and Little Cedar Creek ( 10 miles long)—which have their confluence near Matfield Green, 24.3 miles above the mouth of the South Fork. The other principal tributary is Rock Creek, which is about 12 miles long and enters the South Fork from the west near Bazaar, approximately 12 miles above the mouth of the South Fork. The gradients of these four tributaries vary from 16 feet per mile in Rock Creek to 30 feet per mile in Mercer Creek. The upper, steeper extremities of the tributaries are intermittent, however, so that the gradients of the flowing streams are less than the figures given except during rainy periods. The gradient of the South Fork between Matfield Green and Bazaar is seven feet per mile, and from Bazaar to the mouth it is five feet per mile. The lengths and gradients of streams were determined by use of a cartometer from maps made by the State Geological Survey of Kansas and the U.S. Geological Survey. Cedar Creek is approximately 27 miles long, and lies entirely within Chase County. Three branches make up its headwaters. One retains the name Cedar Creek (12 miles long), one is called Middle Creek (seven miles long) and one is called Bill's Creek (seven miles long). Another major tributary, Coon Creek, is 11 miles long and enters Cedar Creek 2.2 miles above its confluence with the Cottonwood River. The gradient of Bill's Creek and Middle Creek is 22 feet per mile, that of Coon Creek is 16.5 feet per mile, and that of Cedar Creek above the mouths of Bill's Creek and Middle Creek is 14 feet per mile. Below the junction of the three upper tributaries the gradient of Cedar Crek is 5.5 feet per mile. The South Fork cuts through rock formations of the Council Grove and Chase groups (Florence flint and Fort Riley limestone on the higher uplands, Cottonwood limestone, Neva limestone, and several shale members). Cedar Creek is almost entirely within the Chase group, with a sec- tion of the Sumner group on a part of the uplands (Fort Riley limestone, Florence flint, Herington limestone, and other members). Much of the drainage area of the two streams is covered by virgin bluestem pasture-land. A few of the smaller tributaries, especially those Fishes of Cedar Creek and South Fork of Cottonwood River 305 on the east side of the South Fork, drain grassland exclusively. Alluvial bottomlands in the South Fork basin, and a larger proportion of the Cedar Creek basin, are cultivated, with corn, alfalfa, sorghums, and small grains being the principal crops. All of the streams have a well-developed fringe-forest of elm, oak, hackberry, walnut, locust, willow, hickory, buckeye, redbud, and other species, which provides excellent streamside cover. Non-planktonic vegetation is sparse or absent, except at Station 6 on the South Fork, where a shallow bed-rock bottom was covered with fila- mentous algae, and Station 3 on Cedar Creek, where a dense stand of smartweed (Polygonum) grew on an exposed shore and extended several feet into the water. Stream banks were of two types at the time our collections were made: either steep, muddy, and undercut, with exposed roots of trees projecting into the water, or gently-sloping, barren bars of gravel, rubble, and broken shale. Because of a recent drought, streams of the South Fork system occupied only about half the width of their channels. Stream-bottoms in the South Fork are composed mostly of angular gravel and rubble of cherty limestone and shale, with some smooth limestone or shale bedrock in the swifter sections, and mud in the deeper pools. Even the mud bottoms are firm, of fine-textured, tight, gray clay. Most pools contain limestone boulders which inhibit seining to some extent. Cedar Creek has bottom components similar to those of the South Fork, but they occur in different proportions. Mud bottoms predominate, and the streams have narrower, deeper channels which are occupied more completely during dry periods. The ratio of riffles to pools is not nearly so great in Cedar Creek as in the South Fork. Turbidity was slight in both streams at the time of our survey, al- though there were enough suspended soil particles to impart a gray cast to the water in the deeper pools. Increased plankton development also re- duced water-clarity in the lower parts of the streams. Some of the smaller, spring-fed tributaries were so clear that their fishes could be seined effec- tively only after wading through the pools two or three times, stirring sediments on the bottom and muddying the water. COLLECTING STATIONS South Fork 1. South Fork and Cottonwood River at mouth of South Fork, Secs. 36 and 25, T. 19 S., R. 8 E. Two collections, Aug. 12 (1:30-5:00 p.m.) and Aug. 14 (9:30-11:30 p.m.). A quiet pool three feet deep and nearly y4 mi. long at mouth of South Fork, and two riffles (rubble and shale) at upstream end of this pool. Flow over riffles two ft./sec., six in.- 306 The Kansas Academy of Science one ft. deep. Also a strong riffle, flowing about six ft./sec. and averaging 21/2 feet deep, in Cottonwood River directly opposite mouth of South Fork. 2. South Fork below mouth of Rock Creek, Sec. 33, T. 20 S, R. 8 E. Aug. 14 (9:30-11:00 a.m.). Several riffles with maximum depths of three feet—the deepest riffles found at any station—and deep pools. More bedrock (in riffles) and mud (in pools) than at other stations. A spot favored by anglers. Temperatures (11:00 a.m.) : air 87°F., water 80°F. 3. Rock Creek, Sec. 32, T. 20 S, R. 8 E. Two collections, Oct. 7, 1951 (12:50-2:10 p.m.) and Aug. 13, 1952 (9:00-10:15 p.m.). Water barely flowing on latter date, about 18 inches lower than in Oct. 1951. Gradient steep, bottom rough, large cherty rubble on riffles. Channel braided by many exposed, rocky bars overgrown with willows. 4. South Fork at mouth of Baker Creek, Sec. 18, T. 21 S, R. 8 E. Aug. 14, 1952 (5:30-7:00 p.m.). Stream bed especially wide with broad exposed rubble bars. Several short rubble-gravel riffles, short pools with steep mud banks and bottoms. Temperatures (7:00 p.m.) : air 89°F., water 84°F. 5. Sharps Creek, Sec. 22, T. 21 S, R. 8 E. Aug. 14, 1952 (11:00 a.m.-12:00 noon).

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